To the teacher’s surprise， fellow student Cao Cao would be abooming star in China！ “If not for the name of Cao Cao， I don’t thinkI would have had such success.” That’s true. The name is so resoundingthat it instantly catches people’s attention whenever he introduceshimself. It would be hard to imagine that he wouldn’t become famous.
Cast in Fifty Movies and TV Dramas in Eight YearsAfter his graduation from college， He came to China just to“browse” around the country. He was instantly fascinated and decidedto stay. “China has a long history with lots of historical relics. China isdeveloping at a rapid speed as well. I come across new and changingthings every day. It is quite encouraging and interesting. It has been ten years since Jonathan first set foot on Chinese soil.
“The first two years I did only odd jobs such as an English and biologyteacher， an employee at CNN and so on. I did so many jobs. I was even astore owner.” In China people call a job that does not match with one’
s training as “employment in a job out of one’s line”。 Fortunately hebenefited a lot from his two years of “jobs out of his line”。 He tookadvantage of these two years to steel himself， learn from life， observesociety and build up experience. He was therefore well prepared forputting his image on the screen. “In the last few years I acted in more44 than fifty movies and TV dramas， like No. One Restaurant， BloodyRomance， The Last Imperial Concubine， Break out the Encirclement，Never Give up， Ode to Yan’an and so on. I am grateful to Director TengWenyi for giving me an opportunity during those days， which broughtme — an amateur — into the show biz circle. In the previous years， when Chinese directors needed a foreignerfor a role in a movie or a TV drama， they would usually cast a Uighur（a member of an ethnic group in northwestern China） or a personof mixed Chinese and Western blood for the part. Later on they beganhiring one or two foreigners to take the special part. But in mostcases， however， these foreigners not only lacked professional trainingbut also had a language problem. “In fact there are so many guys onBroadway who are more professional and more handsome than I am， Cao Cao said. “But among the foreign actors in China， these who arebetter looking don’t speak Chinese as fluently as I do. And those whospeak better Chinese aren’t better looking. As a student specializingin performance， I have a combined superiority over others. That’s thereason why Chinese directors prefer me. With a sunny and healthyimage， along with his artistic talents， the six-foot Jonathan has the allround ability to play villains as well as positive characters.
He has a clear appreciation of his footing in the field of arts andthat’s why he went to China instead of Broadway for career opportunities.
This is more or less like David Beckham joining the MajorLeague soccer team — the L.A. Galaxy. “Those who play soccer betterthan Beckham aren’t as handsome as he is and those who are betterlooking don’t play better. It was absolutely the right choice for him togo to America， just like it was for me to come to perform in China. Asked about the actors and actresses he had worked with， heblurted out Siqin Gaowa， Li Youbin， Jiang Qinqin， Tian Hairong alongwith many more — a long list of shining stars. Many of these have becomehis good friends.
He acted as a spy taskmaster in a recent TV play. In his stagephotos， he looked grave and stern with a cold stare， quite unlike theaffectionate and elegant fiancée he played in Princess De Ling. He disclosednothing about the plot of the play. But it would be good to leaveyou in suspense. Surely， he will present another new artistic image tohis Chinese audience.
A Bond Between the Two Brings Them TogetherAn old Chinese saying goes like this， “If there is a bond betweenthem， the two will meet though they’re a thousand miles apart.” In thecase of Jonathan’s affinity for his wife Li Zhiyin， “a thousand miles” isnot the right measurement； it’s more like “ten thousand miles”。
In 1998， when he was 25 years old， friends started talking aboutthe topic of his marriage. Asked what kind of girl he would prefer， hesaid， “First the girl shouldn’t be too na？ve； secondly not too obedientbut candid； and thirdly she should have a little meat on her bones. That is Cao Cao！ He is a quite different from the common man withhis unconventional criteria for a spouse. He would like a girl to haveher own ideas， individual character and refined tastes. He was notinterested in today’s fashionable “bony” girls who try to be lovely andcompliant like endearing little birds. His prayers were answered， andthe “Aphrodite” he had dreamed of rose from the foam of the sea.
46 One weekend a girl with a beaming round face appeared in frontof him. After a brief introduction to each other， Cao Cao asked herthree questions. He believed the answers to these three meticulouslyconceived questions would reveal her personality in an instant. By theway， Jonathan’s father is one of the leading psychologists in America.
The courts often rely on his dad’s psychological test results to decidecases. Nurtured in the family’s tradition of learning， Jonathan has arudimentary knowledge of psychology. I don’t know how his fatherwould react to his introduction of psychology into love affairs though.
“Why is this foreigner so sassy？” was the girl’s first reaction.
But after his explanation， Li Zhiyin， a sophomore majoring in finance，began thinking seriously about the answers. For the sake of their privacy，Cao Cao didn’t want to disclose the questions and answers. Butone thing is for certain， Li’s answers moved Jonathan’s heart while hiscandidness and unique style moved her， too. Following the introductioncame a date. Li’s mediocre English forced Cao Cao to use moreChinese. He quickly improved his Chinese with his linguistic talentand love as motivation.